American mixed martial artist, Tatiana Suarez competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Suarez was drawn to the sport early in life and she practiced consistently until she was able to make her professional debut in 2014.
The 34-old boxer has a close relationship with her mother, but most of her career and life decisions were shaped by the men in her life, particularly her lover Patchy Mix and brother Chris Suarez.
Did You Know These Interesting Facts About Tatiana Suarez?
1. She has Mexican ancestry
As earlier stated, Tatiana was born on December 19, 1990, and available records show that she has Mexican ancestry. Her mother has been identified as Linda Padilla but little or nothing is known about her father. Meanwhile, she is known to have three siblings, including two brothers; Ricky Suarez and Chris Suarez. Her only sister is Julia Suarez.
2. Tatiana Suarez decided to be a wrestler after watching her elder brother compete
Tatiana attended a wrestling match when she was just 3 years old to watch her older brother Chris Suarez fight. It ended up being the determining element in her career choice, though. She apparently told her mother, Linda Padilla, that she wanted to be a wrestler after the event but this did not sit too well with her mother.
Her mother initially forbade her from enrolling in wrestling but eventually concurred after observing her enthusiasm for the sport. Suarez also said that her mother joined her at competitions and became a major supporter.
3. She mostly wrestled with boys while growing up
Tatiana has said that she mostly wrestled with boys while she was growing up. This was because there weren’t many women that were interested in wrestling around her. Even when she found a few, she would beat them up so easily. This became boring and unchallenging for her. She also said that she won 98 percent of her matches as a kid.
4. The athlete attended Lindenwood University
Tatiana went to Northview High School and afterward, enrolled in Lindenwood University. Meanwhile, she has said that her days in school were different simply because she was wrestling. According to her, she never went to parties, prom or hang out with friends because she was wrestling all year round and that was more important to her than her social life.
5. She made her MMA professional debut in 2014
Suarez started practicing MMA in 2013 and made her amateur debut in February 2014, winning over Elizabeth Rodriguez via first-round TKO. Before opting to turn pro, she fought once more a month later and won by unanimous decision over Jessica Pryor.
In the Gladiator Challenge competition in July 2014, Suarez made her victorious professional MMA debut by defeating Tyra Parker. In August 2015, she made her last outing for the organization and defeated Arline Coban via second-round TKO. She won the Gladiator Challenge title in the California State Championship Series as a result of this triumph.
6. Tatiana Suarez has maintained an impressive career record
The 23rd season of the reality series The Ultimate Fighter featured Tatiana as a contestant. She won a unanimous decision over Chel-c Bailey in the contest to enter the house. Coach Cláudia Gadelha made her the first pick as a result of her outstanding performance.
At The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale on July 8, 2016, Suarez faced Team Claudia colleague Amanda Cooper. Suare obtained a D’Arce choke victory in the opening frame to claim the strawweight championship. She received the Performance of the Night bonus for this victory.
She has continued to put up impressive performances and as of the time of writing, the fighter has a total of 9 fights, 9 wins, and 0 losses. More so, she was the strawweight tournament winner in the 23rd season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. As of May 9, 2023, she is #10 in the UFC women’s strawweight rankings, and as of June 20, 2023, she is #15 in the UFC women’s pound-for-pound rankings.
SEE ALSO: UFC Women Fighters – 10 Of The Best At The Moment
7. Her boyfriend is also a fighter
Tatiana is known to be in an open relationship with Patchy Mix. The exact date that the couple started dating is not known but they have been together for quite some time. Meanwhile, Patrick is a 31-year-old American professional mixed martial artist that competes in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. Mix has a daughter from a previous relationship.
Meanwhile, Tatiana has appreciated Mix for supporting her career and always training with her.
8. She is a cancer survivor
Suarez’s dreams of competing in the Olympics were dashed after she had a neck injury while preparing for the London Summer Olympics in 2012. In addition to a painful disc in her neck, an MRI and CAT scan also showed a malignant tumor on her thyroid. The fighter had her thyroid and multiple lymph nodes removed in addition to receiving radiation therapy. Her thyroid cancer was successfully treated, and she ultimately started working out once more.
Meanwhile, Tatiana said the news of her cancer left her in shock especially because she was young and she had her career ahead of her. She also said she never saw it coming because no one in her family has ever had it. Despite her initial shock, Tatiana said that she put herself together and told herself that she will fight through this in the spirit of her training as a wrestler.
Following her cancer experience, Suarez has devoted her time and resources to the fight against cancer. She has encouraged other people suffering from the disease to be optimistic and strong-willed in defeating the disease.
9. How tall is she?
Tatiana Suarez stands at a staggering height of 5 ft 5 in (1.65m). She also weighs 125lb (57 kg) and this has been a plus for her as she competes in the Flyweight and Strawweight division.
10. Tatiana has an estimated net worth of $4 million
Although Tatian’s money has not been authoritatively stated, several credible sources have projected her net worth at $ 4 million. She has undoubtedly made a huge part of this sum from her sporting carer of 10 years.
In addition to her career, Tatiana has also made money from endorsements and brand ambassadorial deals. From her official and verified Instagram account, you will easily discover that she has promoted several products like Celsius Drink, vitalperformance and lifecykel.
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